2011 Aptera 2e

Bigger, safer, and just as radical, the Aptera 2e continues evolving as it inches closer to (probably) launching.

Proving that evolution never stops, even among things that appear to be rather highly evolved already, is the upcoming 2011 Aptera 2e. The space-age three-wheeler may have been delayed “to align with financing realities,” but while Aptera’s suits are out shaking money from trees (and the government), the engineers and designers have been busy evolving the two-seater to make it more livable once it is finally ready for prime time.

The changes are not insignificant. For starters, according to Marques McCammon, Aptera’s chief marketing officer, the 2e’s composite body is about 10 percent larger in every way than the prototype we took out for a spin a few months ago. This translates into more room for heads, legs, and safety structure, he said. The doors now open wider due to external hinges. Lighting elements are new, with the headlamps becoming single HIDs, and the skinny taillamps now wear some protection in the form of a rear fascia. Also noteworthy is the rear-wheel housing, which now extends all the way back and includes some integrated rear crash reinforcement. The latest Aptera also ditches the one-piece nose cone design for one with a separate hood, allowing owners to show off that sexy electric motor to the neighbors.

Speaking of the electrics, we heard nothing about any specific adjustments made to the powertrain to handle the weight gain that surely accompanies the changes. Any impact that those changes will have on the 2e’s range went unmentioned, as well. But we expect that these things will evolve like the rest of the car. We will have more answers as soon as we drive one of the new prototypes early next year.

Aptera Motors still plans to limit its initial run of 2e models to California-based customers, with availability spreading to the rest of the country once the company is able to lay the distribution groundwork. Other areas of the country likely also will need to demonstrate some sort of infrastructure able to handle on-the-go charging and such. The company also claims to be planning other powertrains such as hybrid and/or gas-only versions. But operating as Aptera does, on a very lean staff—the Vista, California–based company only had about 40 employees before it laid some off due to financial constraints—we don’t expect any of the above to happen terribly soon.